Would You Ever Use A Naturopath?

One of my friends uses a naturopathic physician (ND) instead of a pediatrician for all of her little one's health-care needs. She raves about the way her daughter is treated, and she has a great relationship with the naturopath. I, on the other hand, am on the hunt for a new pediatrician. I thought I'd find out more about naturopaths while I'm at it. Luckily, there's a group on CafeMom called Naturopathic Care. I spoke with jellyphish, the group owner, who was really helpful. Here's what she told me about using a naturopath instead of a pediatrician.

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Cafe Suzanne: You use a naturopathic physician rather than a pediatrician for your 17-month-old daughter's
primary health care. How did you come to make this decision?

jellyphish: I took a
few very light naturopathic intro courses in school and it's something
I've since been very passionate about. When I was pregnant with Isis I
was still unsure about whether to use a pediatric ND or MD for her, so
my husband and I met with a both kinds of pediatricians and we both
felt much more comfortable with the ND.

Cafe Suzanne: What is naturopathy?

jellyphish: In a nut shell, naturopathy is using natural treatments to improve and maintain health.

jellyphish: Western medicine definitely has its values, I just feel it should be used as a last resort instead of a first.

Cafe Suzanne: Can you give some examples of times when your daughter was sick and how the
naturopath treated her?

jellyphish: Last winter Isis caught some
kind of bug and had a fever of 102* so I took her to see her ND. The
doctor asked all kinds of questions about how she had been behaving,
what times of day she felt worse and better, what we had been doing for
her at home. After getting a feel for exactly what was going on
with Isis, the ND gave her a vitamin C, echinacea supplement to
encourage her body's healing mechanisms. She also reassured us that
her fever was her body's way of fighting the infection and that the
temperature wasn't high enough to be too concerned yet, but to watch
it. She suggested that we give her Tylenol for the fever should she
become too uncomfortable, otherwise it was fine for her to ride it out. I didn't take her to an MD for this because I didn't need to, but I can
guess from my own personal experiences that one would have prescribed
one-size medicines to suppress the symptoms.

Cafe Suzanne: What are a naturopath's credentials?

jellyphish: This varies by state. Unfortunately, most states currently don't require licensing for NDs,
so it's really important to read up on your state's laws and research
your ND's background. In the states where licensing is not required,
many qualified practitioners practice under complimentary licenses like
DO or even MD. From the American Association of Naturopathic
Physicians (AANP):

"A Licensed naturopathic physician (N.D.) attends a four-year graduate
level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same
basic sciences as an M.D. but also studies holistic and nontoxic
approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and
optimizing wellness."

Cafe Suzanne: Is it important to choose a naturopathic physician that specializes in children?

jellyphish: Because
naturopathic medicine is so broad, NDs tend to have specialties both in
modalities and clientele, and it's really a personal preference of what
kind of ND to use. It's the same as making the choice between a
pediatric MD and a general family practitioner.

Cafe Suzanne: How would someone go about looking for a credentialed
naturopath-pediatrician?

jellyphish: The AANP and the CANP are the best places to
start looking, these are the respective accredited associations of
America and Canada.

Cafe Suzanne: What questions should someone ask a naturopath they are considering
hiring as their child's primary health-care provider?

jellyphish: It's important to
ask all the same questions you would as of an MD, as well as any other
concerns there may be. I also think it's really important to make sure
the ND is willing and able to refer an MD when it's necessary.
Cafe Suzanne: Do naturopathic physicians take health insurance?

Cafe Suzanne: Most traditional pediatricians are affiliated with a hospital and if a
child gets seriously ill or in a serious accident, the child would go
to that hospital. Are naturopaths affiliated with hospitals?

Cafe Suzanne: Is there any illness, condition, or accident that could affect your child
that you would not trust a naturopath to handle?

jellyphish: I wouldn't not trust
my ND, so to speak, but there are definitely times when western
medicine is applicable. I trust my ND to make reference to an MD if he
needs to. If Isis was ever seriously injured I would take her to
an ER just like any other mother would. A reputable acupuncturist once
said to me, "if you're sick, come to us. If you're broken, go to them."